He moaned quietly in pain, his head throbbing as memories of the battle flooded his mind.
"Hermione, go with Harry, I'll hold them off."
"But…"
"Just GO!"
They had been taken by surprise, surrounded by death eaters. If only they could make it to the school, the order would be there to help them fight. Ron closed his eyes, hoping with all his might that Harry and Hermione had made it; that they hadn't been captured too. He could still hear the voices of the death eaters when they had overpowered him.
"Leave him alive. The Dark Lord will want to deal with him personally. He could be of use to us."
He could be of use to them? What did they mean by that? Ron slowly became more aware of his surroundings. The room was dark and cold, there did not appear to be any windows, a dungeon of some sort. His wrists were chained to the wall just about his head. They weren't even going to give him a chance to defend himself.
A loud pop made Ron jump in surprise and a tall figure in black robes stood in front of him, long blonde hair peeking out from under the death eater's hood. The all too enthusiastic voice of Lucius Malfoy spoke slowly to him.
"Mr. Weasley, what a pleasure it is to see you today. I trust you know why you are here?" Ron took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm. He wouldn't give this scum the pleasure of seeing his fear.
"As a matter of fact I don't. Care to enlighten me?"
"You see Mr. Weasley, a curious thing happened when you decided to protect those annoying friends of yours. They somehow managed to slip off our radar. Now we can't have that. The Dark Lord needs to know where Potter is or he can't finish him off now can he? And that mud-blood you like so much, she can't just go disappearing into the air I breathe."
Ron let out a sigh of relief. They had managed to escape. His plan worked. He could face anything that was coming now. Knowing his friends were safe was all that mattered. The sinister voice of Lucius Malfoy interrupted his thoughts.
"In short, we need to know where they are. And you are going to tell us. If you refuse, you'll suffer for it." Ron felt the tip of a wand press against his throat. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, but did not make a sound.
"Amazing how silent you can be," Lucius taunted, "my son tells me that you can have quite a big mouth with you want to. Perhaps you just need a little – persuasion to loosen that tongue of yours."
Ron braced himself for what he knew was coming. Sure enough, the pain of the cruciatus curse shot into his throat through the wand. Pain worse than anything he'd ever imagined in his life jolted through his head and neck, blurring his vision and making it difficult to breathe.
"Let him breathe for a moment, Lucius," hissed a new voice in the dark, "we don't want him dying on us before he talks now do we?"
"Of course we don't, my lord."
Ron struggled to catch his breath as the new arrival walked slowly closer to him. Ron felt the color leave his face and his stomach turn over. Although he'd expected it from the time he was captured, it still came as a shock when he came face to face with the person he'd feared for so long, whose name he'd been unable to speak. A long, gray finger reached out from under black robes and placed itself under Ron's chin, forcing him to look up into the snake-like face he'd never dared to dream about as it spoke quietly to him.
"Now, you see, I am a very reasonable man. I make but one simple request. If you will be so kind as to oblige, you will be kept prisoner no longer. Sounds fair right? Now tell me, where is it that Potter ran off too? It's a simple question really…"
Ron said nothing. He continued to look straight in to Voldemort's eyes, refusing to let the fear in his heart get the better of him. He felt himself trembling slightly, but still said nothing. Voldemort's eyes flashed red in fury.
"It seems our guest is unable to speak. Mind helping him out, Mr. Malfoy?" Ron was hit again by the cruciatus curse, this time, directly in the chest. He screamed out in pain and struggled weakly, his wrists still chained tightly to the wall. After a few moments Voldemort again ordered the curse to be lifted. Ron spoke up in a quiet voice.
"I-I won't betray my friends…" he trailed off in a whimper, the pain from the curse still upon him.
"So… it CAN talk." Voldemort mocked, "A bit more Mr. Malfoy, stronger this time."
Before Ron could protest he was hit for the third time by the cruel curse. He hung limply by his wrists as unbearable pain coursed rapidly through his entire body. Just as he thought his mind might snap, the curse was lifted again. Ron's head hung low. He struggled to hold back tears as he stared at the stone floor below. Voldemort again lifted his chin, forcing their eyes to meet.
"Don't be a fool, Weasley. Why suffer for them? What good will it do anyone? Save yourself… Potter can fend for himself."
Ron knew he wouldn't be able to withstand another round of the cruciatus curse. But he also knew he couldn't let his friends down. He wouldn't let them get hurt for his weakness.
"Think of yourself, boy," Voldemort continued to taught, "Why would you choose to die such a horrible death when you could join me, and have everything you ever wanted?"
Ron looked up at his tormentor, his eyelids growing heavy with exhaustion. He was barely able to speak; he shook his head slowly, closing his eyes, preparing for the worst.
"I do not make such offers lightly, Mr. Weasley. Join me and you'll have it all. Fame, power, wealth, everything you've ever dreamed up. You'll be more well-known then your friend Potter, among the wealthiest wizards in the county, as well as the most feared. Think carefully about it. A few simple words and its all yours."
Ron's head was racing. He didn't want to die, and he didn't want to be tortured anymore. More famous than Harry, as rich as Malfoy, Was it really possible? He recalled Harry's words in his head:
"If anything goes wrong, we meet up back at the headquarters of the order. They can't find us there."
Voldemort was right, it would be easy. He knew exactly where they were. Just a few words and this pain would end. And it was true… Harry COULD take care of himself…
"I'm waiting anxiously for your decision, young man." Voldemort said impatiently, bringing his own wand to Ron's throat, "Will you join me? Or will you die, suffering at my hand?"
"I-I… t-they're…. I mean," Ron stammered nervously.
"Take your time," Lucius Malfoy coaxed, "we've got all day."
Ron felt a single, hot tear run down his cheek. He closed his eyes tightly and saw Harry's and Hermione's faces clearly in his mind. He saw the piercing, but friendly green of Harry's eyes, and the deep, mysterious brown of Hermione's. Both of their smiles were clear in his memory.
He thought of the times they had spent together laughing, crying, and just talking. They had always been there for each other – always! This gave him the strength he needed to do what he had known from the beginning he had to do. He looked from Voldemort, to Lucius Malfoy, speaking as calmly and clearly as he could.
"Do what you want, I-I'm not telling you a thing. They're my friends - and n-no matter what - I'm not gonna let you hurt them."
Voldemort growled in frustration and stormed from the room leaving behind a single command: "Dispose of him!"
Ron bit his lip, bracing himself for the final blow. He closed his eyes and as Lucius Malfoy raised his wand, Ron pictured his friends' faces again, for what he knew would be the last time. The vision of his best friend's green eyes mixed perfectly with the oncoming flash of green light, and Ron knew in less than a second that he had made the right choice.